


Ceridwen

by MarquessOfMercury



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Cloud is a Witch, Forgiveness, Grief/Mourning, Halloween, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Magic, Magical Tattoos, Runes, Samhain, Witchcraft, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:47:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27335149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarquessOfMercury/pseuds/MarquessOfMercury
Summary: Cloud is a witch, celebrating Halloween with a ritual - but it doesn't go according to plan.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 3
Kudos: 28





	Ceridwen

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween, and Blessed Samhain!
> 
> I just wanted to see Cloud as a witch with magical powers, so here we are.
> 
> I used 'The Real Witches' Handbook' for so much reference omg.
> 
> Also shout out to 'Hello Once Again' by hrelics9, where I took Cloud's nickname from. Can't recommend that fic enough!

It was a little after sunset on All Hallows’ Eve. The veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest. The spirits of the deceased could pass over to this plane to spend time with their loved ones if they so wished. It was a time for endings and beginnings; after all death is necessary to allow new things to start.

The moon was full and bright, the Goddess revealing her beautiful face and freely offering her energy, bringing promise and strength. She shone down through the ruined arches and high broken windows of the old church.

Cloud studied his altar carefully, sitting cross-legged on the stone floor before it. The pale witch wore an intricately embroidered black and gold kimono robe, and his long spiky blond hair was tied away from his face with a leather cord woven with charms and herbs. Rosemary bestowed him with youth and strength.

He took a deep breath in through his nose and closed his bright golden eyes for a few seconds, gathering his magic. When he opened them, they glowed with a white light; he was ready to begin his Samhain ritual. It was the one time a year where he made space for reflection.

To begin, Cloud called upon the four elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth. He imagined a spring breeze over his skin and through his hair, the heat of the summer sun, the feeling of autumn rainfall on his eyelashes, the hardness of the earth in winter and the strength in his own body. The shell, feather, crystals, and pebble glinted back at him from the altar.

Cloud cast the Circle - creating his sacred space. Using his ancestor’s longsword, he drew a ring of protection in the air around himself - a sudden electric blue light manifested and followed the sword tip. As the witch moved, his robe’s long sleeves fluttered around him like waterfalls of silk and his protective charm jewellery jangled and chimed. Sweeping the sword in a wider arc to finish the Circle, his robe gaped open from the waist, revealing his well-toned chest and the runes tattooed across his clavicles and ribs. Traditional sigils of witchcraft - they helped guide his magic. The Circle was complete - a luminous blue sphere - a place between the worlds, a time out of time, a place of containment and protection.

The black candle was tall and thin, and ignited easily from a sweep of Cloud’s ring-clad fingers. Unlike most people on Gaia, he could channel energy through his body, controlling natural magic effortlessly. Watching the candle burn, he thought about what had happened to him and his friends in the past year; thought about their triumphs. They had fought unspeakable evil and won. His coven was unparalleled. Their love for each other saw them through.

Cloud clasped his hands together, opal, onyx and gold clanging like a bell, and gave thanks to the Goddess for their success and for her help in the final battle. She had guided them and lent them her strength.

But now was the difficult part of the evening: to acknowledge not just his triumphs but also his failures - and what he had learned from them. Sighing, Cloud’s gaze caught on the large scar in the middle of his torso. For a long time, his thoughts had been in the dark, so he had stayed in the darkness with them.

Nevertheless, Cloud could tell he was ready, he had faced his demons head-on. It was time to banish his bad habits; to banish his guilt. It was time to forgive himself.

It was sudden, when Cloud felt it, when he gasped sharply and clawed at the skin across his chest. His tattoos were burning red and his heart felt tight and painful. Like it was floating up quickly through an ocean, racing towards the surface, towards air and light. What was this feeling? Forgiveness? Cloud almost felt dizzy from the intensity.

The constant awareness of death. A necessity that allowed new things to start. A bold smiling face demanded to be at the fore-front of his mind. Long dark raven hair. A cross shaped scar. A fallen comrade. Friend. Lover. Feelings of safety and care. Being cherished. A bond that would exist on all planes of time. The person who was his sanctuary in the war of his mind.

Cloud frantically swept his hand over the white candle, sparking it into flame next to the black one. He needed the white light to try and make sense of his rushing emotions. He took a shuddering breath to try and calm his racing heart and mind. He wanted- He hoped- -- No. He wouldn’t dare finish that wish.

The candle was only recently lit, but already the door to the Dead was creaking open.

Clarity, that’s what the witch needed. Cloud grasped the damask linen pouch containing his runes. He tipped it upside down and spread his stone runes facedown on the ground. He gently touched each one, feeling their connection to his magic. They felt unnaturally warm. When he felt a particularly strong pull, he picked up a rune until he had three. Turning them over, he was abruptly assaulted by an avalanche of visions.

Power. A Gateway. Thunder. Regeneration. Water. Renewal.

Time passed and the visions faded. Cloud’s hands had found his amethyst charm pendant and were all tangled up in the chain. The calming amethyst energy helped settle him. He wondered why the Goddess wasn’t offering any guidance for his divination. Cloud concentrated on his breathing, the sensation of his lungs filling with air and emptying, over and over again. After a short time, Cloud felt sufficiently grounded, and decided it was about time he wrapped up the ritual.

Wishing farewell to the old year, Cloud blew out the black candle.

The witch let the white candle burn for a while longer. He looked up, through the crumbled weed-strangled stone walls and arches, looked at the dark sky and the moon. The Goddess radiated playfulness and warmth, her gleaming surface almost winking at him.

Cloud felt a sudden surge of magic that wasn’t his. Ancient markings flared into the air within his circle - demonstrating massive strength to have broken through the protections he had cast. The markings quickly came together to create a form that was growing bigger and bigger until a wolf shaped from glowing light crouched before him.

Energy prickled along Cloud’s tattoos in reaction to the wolf and he gasped from the sensation, blinking cautious bright white eyes. He didn’t feel malice from whatever was in front of him, but he started to pull on his magic, ready to throw up a shield in case it attacked.

Within a few seconds the wolf shape changed, becoming a shining blur too bright to look at. It seemed to waver for a moment and Cloud felt its attention flicker between interest in him and some internal conflict. There was a quick burst of magic and it settled into the figure of a man.

Rebirth. Transformation.

“Hey Cloudy-Sky.”

“Zack.”


End file.
